DOJ asks to dismiss Steve Bannon's criminal charges

The Justice Department is seeking to flip retired its transgression lawsuit against erstwhile Trump advisor Steve Bannon, who was jailed for declining to attest earlier the House Jan. 6 committee.

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro wrote Monday that the "government has determined successful its prosecutorial discretion that dismissal of this transgression lawsuit is successful the interests of justice." She asked a justice to dismiss the indictment against Bannon with prejudice, meaning it cannot beryllium refiled. Pirro added that Bannon did not reason the move.

Bannon, a media property and erstwhile White House main strategist, was convicted of contempt of Congress aft helium declined to comply with a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 sheet for grounds and documents. He spent astir four months successful prison successful 2024.

Lawmakers connected the committee had subpoenaed Bannon arsenic portion of a sweeping probe into the events starring up to the Jan. 6 riot, including the alleged propulsion by President Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the election. Bannon was not formally a portion of Mr. Trump's squad astatine the time, but helium was a vocal protagonist of the president's efforts. In its subpoena, the committee pointed to Bannon's remarks connected Jan. 5, 2021, that "all hellhole is going to interruption escaped tomorrow."

Bannon did not comply with the subpoena, telling the committee the accusation that lawmakers wanted was taxable to enforcement privilege, a ineligible doctrine that allows presidents to withhold definite information. The House — which had a Democratic bulk astatine the clip — voted to urge charging Bannon with contempt of Congress successful 2021, and the Justice Department brought charges against him soon aft that.

Days earlier his mid-2022 assemblage trial, Bannon's attorneys changed course and said helium would beryllium consenting to testify, penning that "circumstances person present changed" and Mr. Trump had chosen to waive enforcement privilege. Bannon was inactive recovered blameworthy by a D.C.-based assemblage and sentenced to jailhouse time.

Despite finishing his situation condemnation successful October 2024, Bannon is inactive challenging his conviction, asking the Supreme Court to instrumentality up his lawsuit past year. Bannon has argued that helium didn't willfully defy the subpoena, and alternatively was pursuing his lawyers' proposal to clasp disconnected connected complying until enforcement privilege issues could beryllium worked out. He has besides formed his contempt lawsuit arsenic politically motivated.

On Monday, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to vacate an appellate ruling that upheld Bannon's condemnation and nonstop the substance backmost to the territory court.

The Justice Department's efforts to flip retired Bannon's lawsuit travel amid different high-profile statement implicit contempt of Congress.

Lawmakers connected the House Oversight Committee voted to recommend holding Bill and Hillary Clinton successful contempt past period aft the erstwhile president and caput of authorities refused to attest successful an probe into Jeffrey Epstein. Shortly earlier the afloat House was acceptable to instrumentality up the issue, the Clintons said they were willing to look for depositions. The oversight panel's chair, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, said the brace had "caved."